Sand, Steam and Strange Things in the Sky
© 2002, Frank Weston
All rights reserved

 

Born of snowmelt high in the San Juan Mountains, the Rio Grande River carves a scenic canyon below Flat Top Mesa near Manassa.

A high mountain valley ringed by snow-capped peaks, the San Luis Valley is 50 miles wide, 100 miles long, created when the North American continent cracked as the continental plate moved. Located in south-central Colorado, 7500 feet above sea level, this broad, flat valley below snow-capped peaks has attracted people for over ten thousand years. The ancestral Native Americans hunted the valley, leaving campsites and rock carvings to mark their passing. In the 1600s, the Spanish, exploring north out of Mexico, were the first white men to enter the valley. Legend says that they got rich mining gold in the precipitous Sangre de Cristo Mountains along the east side of the valley. Chased off by the Indians, the Spaniards hid huge quantities of gold in a cave. As with all good legends, the location of La Caverna del Oro, the Cave of Gold, has been lost in the mists of time. The Spanish influence is still strong in valley, as the place names imply: Monte Vista, Del Norte, Sangre de Cristo, and, of course, San Luis.

Wind-blown sand piles up over 700 feet high at then base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

The west side of the valley is defined by rounded mountains, the remains of a vast volcanic field extending almost to the Utah border, forming the La Garita and San Juan mountains. Hot magma still buried deep beneath the valley is responsible for the numerous hot springs found in the valley. The tear in the continental plate also means that the plate is thinner there, allowing the molten magma below the plate to get closer to the surface. Groundwater heated by the magma comes to the surface as hot springs. Near Villa Grove, some of these springs have been developed into public hot springs—a great way to relax after a day spent exploring this vast landscape.

One of the most eye-catching features in the valley is a huge pile of sand below the lofty Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The tallest dunes in North America are visible from almost anywhere in the valley. The varying light changes the sand dunes’ color from pale yellow-white to golden tan or a rich brown. For thousands of years, winds blowing off the San Juan Mountains, found nothing to impede their progress across the San Luis Valley. Countless grains of sand have been carried by the wind across the valley, but when they get to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the east side,

the winds slow as they struggle up over the mountain range. The sand that they picked up on their journey across the valley gets dropped at the foot of the mountains. Grain by grain, the wind has piled up sand covering a 39 square mile area to a height of 750 feet. It’s a giant sandbox for adults as well as kids with great camping, sightseeing or wildlife viewing. Or just kick your shoes off and cool your feet in Medano Creek.

Claret cup cactus bloom in the arid climate of the La Garita Mountains.

Further south, the Rio Grande River enters the valley from its headwaters deep in the San Juan Mountains. This is the same Rio Grande made famous as the border between Texas and Mexico. It provides an oasis in the high-altitude desert climate of the valley. Wetlands along the river’s path provide valuable resting and breeding grounds for thousands of birds. Every spring, for about three weeks, over 20,000 sandhill cranes stop in the valley during their annual migration to northern nesting grounds. Hunters armed with cameras flock to the Alamosa and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuges to hunt the migrating cranes today. Monte Vista’s annual Crane Festival is one of the biggest draws in the valley. A big draw in this valley means a few thousand people coming to view the crane migration. The valley also hosts thousands of waterfowl, golden and bald eagles, hawks, ducks and a variety of songbirds.

A summer thunderstorm towers over a lone cottonwood along the banks of the Rio Grande River.

One of the most attractive features of the valley is what it doesn’t have—major resort facilities. Without major resorts to attract throngs of visitors, the valley has avoided the overcrowded conditions that are the life-blood of most resorts. However, all the creature comforts are available in the valley’s larger towns, Alamosa and Monte Vista. Although the central valley floor is predominantly agricultural, the Rio Grande National Forest that encircles the valley on three sides offers plenty of campgrounds adjacent to the valley. Great Sand Dunes National Monument also has a large campground scenically tucked in between the dunes and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

 

Wetlands in the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge reflect the endless blue sky below snow-capped peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Although it is a quiet, out of the way place, the valley is a Mecca for the unusual. South of Alamosa the small farming town of Manassa is the home of the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Jack Dempsey, also known as the Manassa Mauler. The Jack Dempsey Museum near the center of town honors his career. Even stranger is the fact that alligators are raised in this high mountain valley far from the gators traditional home. And perhaps the strangest of all is the interest in UFOs in the valley. Recently, the San Luis Valley has become a focal point for UFO enthusiasts. Whether it is because of the pristine air, the geologic forces at work, or some other reason, the valley seems to have more than it’s share of UFO sightings. As a result of the numerous sightings, the valley now sports its own UFO watchtower near Mosca.

So if you’re looking for great camping, quiet, uncrowded vistas, and a taste of the unusual, the San Luis Valley is the place to be. Who knows, you might even meet some of the nice folks from the Planet Zenon.